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Tibetans have been in Switzerland since the 1960s, when the Swiss Red Cross helped resettle 300 Tibetans in Switzerland. In addition, approximately 150 Tibetan orphans were adopted by Swiss families. A number of Tibetans settled in the mountains of the Swiss Alps, because of its homelike terrain. The Tibetan children had some difficulty in school, due to the massive language barrier between German and Tibetan. But soon enough, the Tibetans were able to gain enough fluency in German, and were able to sit in the same class as regular Swiss children. Many of these Tibetan children would assimilate into the Swiss society, and would become "culturally confused". Some Swiss people even learned to speak in some Tibetan.
With over 4000 residing in the country, Tibetans make up the second largest Asian immigrant group in Switzerland, right behind Filipinos.